Eni (E) and its partners have submitted an application for an Argentinian liquefied natural gas project to join the so-called Large Investment Incentive Regime, or RIGI, which is designed to promote investments in the South American nation's strategic sectors, Eni said Friday in a statement.

Argentina's majority state-owned oil firm YPF, in partnership with Eni and XRG, the international investment firm owned by Abu Dhabi's petroleum giant ADNOC, plans to tap Vaca Muerta's gas resources and develop an LNG export platform to supply international markets, according to the statement.

The project includes gas transportation and processing facilities in upstream gas production and export infrastructure, as well as two floating liquefied natural gas units with a combined liquefaction capacity of 12 million tonnes per year, Eni said.

The total planned investments in Argentina LNG are about $51 billion, the Buenos Aires Times reported.

RIGI provides a 30-year stability package of tax, customs and foreign exchange benefits for investments over USD 200 million in Argentina's strategic sectors, according to PAMPA Investment Advisory.